There are many applications where a need exists to detect pressure between two contacting surfaces and to provide a pressure profile. Such applications include detecting pressure at contacting surfaces in various industrial equipment for adjustment, testing, and maintenance, in research facilities for measurement and testing of various products, and in medical facilities for measuring and testing, e.g. pressure distribution, dental occlusion and the like. While pressure sensors for some of these applications are typically fabricated as matrix arrays, many of these applications require only single sensors that can provide pressure or force output on the spot.
Flexible, wearable and light-weighted electronics are becoming more and more desirable in human life. Traditional tactile sensors are rigid and in fixed sizes and shapes. In addition, while high-sensitivity sensors can detect and/or measure small pressure changes, their precision and/or sensitivity is severely compromised when the pressure measured goes beyond a certain range, e.g. over several kilograms. In other words, the existing pressure sensors are too rigid for desired flexible and wearable electronics, and can only measure a small range of pressures.
Therefore, there is a need for flexible pressure sensors that can measure a wide range of pressures.